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Bubble Wrap – Kalyani Rao

Picking up a book by a debut author always comes with some kind of skepticism to me. What if I don’t like the book and end up wasting my precious reading time – this question keeps haunting me but somehow I believe one must venture into unknown territories at times because you never know, you might get discover a gem and that’s exactly what happened with Kalyani Rao’s Bubble Wrap. A 180 page book written with such a precision and poignance that I can proudly say that this book is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2014. Kalyani Rao is a Pune based entrepreneur but I think she should explore her writing skills a bit more because I am sure she’s capable enough to produce many more such gems.

Krishna Singh, the protagonist was twelve when she was married off to Shyam Singh. Rajasthan is a place where child-marriage is still rampant and this was just another case of it. She along with Gudiya, somewhat older than Krishna and a widow of her cousin get into a series of events that change their lives forever. As the story is told by Krishna, you can feel the undercurrent of innocence in each and every word of her story. You feel bad for her and there are instances where little bundle of joys comes in the way of Krishna and Gudiya and you just can’t stop smiling for them.

Kalyani Rao has done a fine job in portraying the condition of women in the current India through her words. It is a simple story told in a convincing way. However, the reader has to read it with an open mind. Also, I must comment on the intelligent choice of the title for this book, Bubble Wrap. When you’ll read it, you would know how apt this title is when it comes to the lives of Krishna and Gudiya. Give this book a shot. It may not entertain you but will definitely give you a perspective.